Nnadiebube Journal of Education

The centrality of the position of Umunna as a socio-cultural group in Igbo land, which unites the Igbo people, cannot be underestimated. It defines the arrangement of every individual in a family structure and describes their social position in the community. The root of every individual family in Igbo land can be traced to the Umunna, a collection of different families who trace their existence to a particular ancestry. So, Umunna simply means sons of the same father. Since time immemorial, the Umunna have served as a unifying force, through its core responsibilities of conflict resolution, instilling a sense of oneness and belonging, and promoting a communitarian spirit. However, with the dawn of globalization and modernization, the effectiveness of the Umunna, as a unifying force in Igbo land, has significantly waned. It has equally become susceptible to misrepresentation. It is on the back of this that this adopts a critical expository method to explore the significant role of Umunna as a symbol of unity in Igbo land through its varied responsibilities and how globalization and modernization have impacted these roles. This is significant in that it helps one to understand the Umunna and its roles beyond the gross misrepresentation of being a group of gluttons. It also shed light on how globalization and modernization have limited the Umunna in carrying out its traditional roles as a harbinger of peace and unity.

Open Full Text (PDF)